The More It Rains, The More I Will Grow
by gleefulmia
Summary: He told her that if they were meant to be, they would be together again someday, and he's holding onto that hope. As far as he can see there is no Finn without Rachel.
1. Chapter 1

The More That It Rains, The More I Will Grow

After watching Goodbye, I decided I needed some form of therapy, and this is the result. I'm not all that surprised or angry with the outcome of the finale, but I was still saddened by it. How amazing were Cory and Lea in the "break-up" scene? It helps that Finchel are the endgame couple, so we know they will be back together someday I hope you enjoy my take on what I want to happen next season.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Glee and its characters are property of RIB. The title is from Roots Before Branches by Room For Two. On a bit of a side note, I have a lot of trouble listening to this song now without breaking out in tears, but I still love it.

I.

The first week after their break-up is the hardest for Finn. He's not even sure what to call it. Rachel had asked if he was breaking up with her and he simply responded that he was letting her go, setting her free to discover who she was without him. He knows it was the right thing to do, but that doesn't make it any easier for him. He misses her more than he ever thought possible.

The nights are the hardest. In the daytime he works as much as he can at Burt's Autobody Shop to save money for his trip to Georgia. During the day he can focus on cars and customers, keeping his mind free of the crippling sadness he feels. At night his thoughts catch up with him and he is forced to deal with his feelings. He spends his nights thinking about Rachel and what she is doing right then. Did she find a dorm? Is she making friends? Is she moving on?

He learned during their first break-up (or maybe it was the second, he's not really sure, he just knows that those months last year when he was without her sucked) that Rachel Berry was someone who was not easy to move on from. He still sees her everywhere. Unlike the last time they broke up, he didn't take down any of their pictures. The sweater she left in his room the last time she was over is still hung over his desk chair. Her headband still sits on his bedside table.

If there's one thing he knows, it's that he's is not moving on from her anytime soon, maybe even never. He told her that if they were meant to be, they would be together again someday, and he's holding onto that hope. As far as he can see there is no Finn without Rachel.

II.

Rachel sits in the small dorm room that she finally picked out after a week's worth of searching. She got a double room, but being that it is still summer, her roommate has yet to arrive. Rachel opted not to go with her Dads back to Lima, explaining to them that she needed to start focusing on her life in New York. She has to find a job first and foremost. Although her Dads are amazing, and they are paying her way through NYADA, she still needs to pay for her basic necessities. She also told them she needed to start getting used to city life before she is bogged down by schoolwork. Thank god the school allowed her early admission into the dorm rooms.

Those were the reasons she gave her fathers, but they aren't the real reasons she chose not to go, as viable as they are. Really, she just doesn't think she can face Finn. She knows that he did what he thought was in her best interest, and maybe, to most people, it was the right thing to do, but she doesn't see it that way, not really.

They were supposed to get married and take New York by storm together. He was supposed to be here to support her, just as she would have supported him in what endeavor he took on. They were supposed to rent a crappy shoebox apartment in a not-so-nice part of the city. They were supposed to take walks together through Central Park on weekends when they weren't working. They were supposed to still be together, they were engaged after all.

Rachel looks down at her engagement ring, still placed on her finger, and feels tears come to her eyes. She is honestly so confused as to what their relationship status really is. He said he was letting her go, surrendering, but what exactly did that mean? She didn't really want to call it a break up, she still had the ring after all and he had never said he was breaking up with her, he actually deflected when she mentioned it; what are they now? Maybe they are on a break, like Ross and Rachel on Friends. Maybe it's a separation of sorts. She decides at that point that she considers it a separation, not a break up. After all, he did say if the universe wanted them to be together, they would be someday. A separation would have to suffice for now.

Too bad that didn't help the aching hole in her heart.

III.

September comes around and Finn finally finds himself with enough money to leave for Fort Benning, Georgia. Unlike what he told Rachel, he didn't actually enlist. He told her that so she wouldn't follow him. She needed to focus on her dream of becoming a star. Maybe he should rephrase that, he wants her to focus on their dream of her becoming a star. It became their dream the minute he told her he loved her for the first time. Just because he can't be with her, doesn't mean he wants her to just give up. That is why he did what he did after all. He gave his dream up, so she could follow hers.

Finn's plan is to go to Fort Benning to clear his father's name. Maybe if he can do that, then he can finally close the mystery that is his father, and from there he can focus on his dreams. Until then, he has work to do.

His Mom and Burt both supported him, even going as far as to pay for the first couple of month's rent on a small apartment in town. The apartment isn't huge, but it's nice. He imagines it would be even nicer if Rachel had been the one to decorate it. Right now it's furnished with a futon folded up into a couch in the tiny living room, the new T.V. Burt bought him sitting on a stand. His bedroom has his king size bed and dresser, because that's all that will fit, and the kitchen is fully stocked with all the basic appliances. The only decorations are a few pictures in mismatched frames hung in various places on the walls, other than that it is basically bare.

Finn sighs. He knows that if he were in New York with Rachel right now, their apartment would be even tinier than this one, but it would also be filled with the one thing this place is missing…love.

iv.

Rachel wakes up on the Monday of her second week of school only to realize she is running late. She hears the radio that she uses as an alarm blaring from the clock radio on the table beside her bed. Throwing her arm over and banging it to shut it off, she sits up and looks around the room to find Santana gone.

Santana had showed up in New York approximately 2 months after Rachel arrived. No one had been more surprised than Rachel when Santana Lopez showed up at the door to her dorm saying she needed a place to crash for a few days. A few days turned into a few weeks and before they knew it, Santana had officially decided to make the move to New York, going so far as to get a job at a local club.

The only problem was Santana couldn't stay in Rachel's dorm with her any longer, but she also couldn't afford to live on her own. Instead of going to look for her own place, Santana coerced Rachel into moving out of her dorm and into a small apartment close to the school, but without the rules of living in a dormitory.

It had actually worked out rather well. The rent was now divided, which made Rachel's Dads happy, and Rachel wouldn't need to work as much to pay for her necessities. She could focus most of her work on school.

Their apartment was the typical shoebox New York City apartment Rachel had pictured her and Finn living in. It was only one bedroom, but it was large enough to fit both girls comfortably. Santana had one side of the room, Rachel the other. The closet had been a bit of an issue, but it was decided that since Rachel had more clothes, she would get the closet.

Rachel had thought living with her former torturer would be hell, but she was actually finding it really easy to get along with the girl. She and Santana have managed to form an unlikely friendship, and in a city where Rachel knows next to no one, she is eternally grateful for the raven haired latina.

Rachel curses her roommate for not waking her up before she left. Looking again at the clock, she realizes she has only a half hour before her classes start for the day. Bolting from her bed she throws on some sweats (not her typical attire), and throws her hair into a messy bun. Forgoing makeup for the day she grabs a bagel, and races out of the apartment to get to school.

Sighing in relief upon getting to her campus on time, Rachel lets herself relax a little, thinking about the mornings events. She can't help but think that if Finn were here, her life wouldn't be as erratic as it is, it would be more organized because they were a unit, working together to get through the day. If Finn were here, she would also have the one thing she desperately craves every night before she goes to sleep…love.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews you guys! Here's part two.

V.

The first time Finn hears from Rachel is the night he arrives in Fort Benning. He knows she has been avoiding contact with him for the last couple of months, despite his many attempts to call, text, and email her. He figures she probably thought it would be easier for them that way. It wasn't. It just made him even more miserable than he already was. Just because he or they surrendered and he let her go, doesn't mean he wanted to cut her out of his life. Besides his Mom, she is still the most important person in the world to him.

He knows Kurt must have told her where he was and convinced her to contact him. The night she calls, Finn is laying in his bed, staring at a picture of the two of them together taken just after they had gotten engaged. His arms are wrapped around her waist and he is staring at her in admiration. She is holding up her hand, admiring the ring. They are both seemingly oblivious to the camera.

He hears the now unfamiliar sound of Faithfully coming from his phone. He reaches over in shock and notices her name and picturing lighting up the screen.

"Rach?" He asks when he picks up.

He hears breathing on the other end of the phone before she gets the nerve to reply_. "H..Hi Finn." _

"Hi." He says sitting up in his bed. "How are you?" He asks nervously, afraid she will sense the eagerness in his voice and hang up the phone.

"_I'm ok."_ She answers. _"What about you?"_

Finn sighs. "Honestly, I've been better."

"Me too." Rachel admits, sounding defeated.

He wonders why she is calling exactly, it's not like she's bothered to try to contact him.

"What exactly are you calling me for Rachel?" He asks, trying not to sound angry.

"I wanted to see how you were." She says truthfully. "Kurt told me your living in Georgia now."

"Yeah, I officially moved in as of yesterday." Finn says.

"Oh, well I'm happy for you. I know how important clearing your Dad's name and honoring him in some way is to you." Rachel says, her voice containing a hint of pride.

"Yeah." Finn says. "So what about you? How's New York treating you?"

"It's New York." Rachel replies and she laughs a little. "The city that never sleeps."

"So I've heard." Finn laughs with her and he can't believe how good it feels. "How's living with Santana? Kurt told me about your living situation."

Rachel giggles a little. "Well so far we haven't managed to kill each other." She jokes. "But honestly, it's working out really well. We're kind of on opposite schedules so the bathroom is never an issue, we barely see each other actually."

"Probably for the best." Finn states, only half joking.

"True." Rachel agrees. "Well I should probably go, I just wanted to see how you were."

Finn sighs, but reluctantly agrees to hang up the phone. "Ok, but I better hear from you again soon, Berry, I mean it." Finn says causing her to let out another giggle. "No more hiding from me. When I agreed to let you go, it wasn't to cut you out of my life. I still care about you Rach."

"I still care about you to." Rachel admits. "More than I feel I should."

"Well we are still friends." Finn reminds her.

"We are." Rachel says. "I really miss you."

"I miss you too." Finn replies. "Call me soon."

"Bye Finn." Rachel says and hangs up, the line going dead.

Finn lays back in his bed, feeling a bit more hopeful than he has in a long time.

Vi.

Rachel finally takes off the ring on Halloween night. She and Santana are going to a party at the club Santana works at and Santana swears up and down that she is not allowing Rachel to leave the apartment with the ring on her finger.

"It's depressing." Santana says bluntly. "I'm so tired of looking at that thing, and the longing look on your face when you look at it."

"Well sorry." Rachel bites back sarcastically. "I didn't realize it was such an inconvenience to you."

Santana sighs. "Looks I'm sorry Berry, but you need to take it off. It's time. Finn wouldn't want you to wear it forever for no reason."

"It's not for no reason." Rachel says defensively. "Finn and I may no longer be an item, but that does not mean that we won't be eventually. He even said so."

"Rachel, look at me and know I'm saying this for your own good." Santana places her hand on Rachel's shoulders. "It's time chica. Finn let you go knowing you were eventually going to get on with your life. It's not fair to you and it's not fair to him for you to keep up this charade. I'm not saying you'll never get back together, maybe you will someday, but in the mean time you need to start living again, meet some new people. This is New York City. Kurt and I can't be your only friends here."

Santana is referring to the fact that Kurt finally moved to New York. He got a job at a local beauty salon for the time being and is saving up money to take some community college courses in the winter, while getting ready for his second NYADA audition next spring. The man would not give up.

Rachel sighed, knowing what Santana saying is true as much as she hates to admit it. She eyes her engagement ring one more time, before nodding sadly in defeat and going over to her dresser. She takes off the ring and places it carefully in her jewelry box.

She knows she should feel a bit better about it, but for some reason it feels like a part of her is now missing.

vii.

The first time Finn and Rachel see each other again after their "break-up" is at Mr. Schue's wedding. It's November and winter is here in Ohio. As per his request, before he even got engaged, Finn is Mr. Schuster's best man. Rachel was shocked a couple of months ago when Miss. Pillsbury called her to ask her to be her maid of honor, knowing that Finn and Rachel were broken up.

Finn finally sees Rachel standing outside the dressing room waiting for Emma to come out in her wedding dress. Rachel's wearing a light pink, strapless dress that goes to her knees. Her hair is pulled up in a fancy bun to the side of her head, similar to the one she had on their date in New York, and a few tendrils curl around her face. Her make-up is subtle. All in all she looks gorgeous.

Finn gains the courage to approach her before she even notices him.

"Hey." He says.

Rachel looks up at him in surprise. She knows she shouldn't be. They are after all supposed to escort each other down the aisle, but it still catches her off guard. She eyes him in his suit and notices his hair is shorter than she remembered. He looks good.

"Hi yourself." She smiles up at him. "Long time no see."

Finn laughs, glad she broke the ice. "You could say that again. You look beautiful"

Rachel looks down at herself and blushes. "Thanks. You look great yourself. Have you been working out?"

"Ms. Berry are you flirting with me?" Finn asks jokingly.

Rachel mock glares at him. "I am doing no such thing Finn Hudson. I am simply asking a question."

Finn bursts into a fit of laughter at her dramatic nature, although he knows she's kidding. "Good to see New York hasn't changed you much."

"You'd be surprised." She mutters.

"Are you ok?" Finn asks, noticing her staring at the ground.

"I'm fine, I'm just going to get a drink of water." She turns to walk away, Finn follows knowing she likes to drink water when she's upset.

"What's wrong Rachel?" He asks worriedly.

"Just leave me be Finn, please. I can't be around you like this." She says.

"Rach, I thought no matter what happened, we would still be friends." Finn says. "You don't have to hide things from me, you know how well I know you."

Rachel sighs and nods. "I know, but at the same time you broke up with me. It's just hard to be around you and be reminded of what we used to have."

Finn nods in understanding and gathers her into his arms. "I know, I'm sad too. I miss you so much it hurts."

Rachel pulls away and looks up into his eyes. "Then why can't we be together? You can still do your thing in Georgia, but when you're done with whatever it is you need to do, come to New York."

"It isn't that simple Rach. I want to, believe me I do."

"Then why aren't we together?" She asks getting angry. "I know that you didn't enlist."

He looks at her in shock at having his cover story blown. "Kurt told you?"

Rachel nods emphatically. "After the hundredth time that I asked him about how you were doing in the army and if you were being deployed anytime soon."

"He promised he wouldn't say anything." Finn shouts, not meaning to yell at her.

"Well it's a little late for that. And don't blame Kurt for this, you're the one who lied to me." Rachel reminds him.

"I know, I'm sorry Rach, I just did what I had to do." Finn explains.

"What did you have to do?" Rachel asks in confusion.

"I had to make up a lie so you wouldn't follow me." Finn tells her honestly.

Rachel glares at him, anger crossing over her face. "Well I'm sorry that you felt you had to do that. If I had known I was such a problem for you, I would have broken up with you sooner." With that she turns around and storms away.

"Shit." Finn mutters under his breath. He thought he was protecting her, turns out that back fired into his face.

There you have it, part 2. Part 3 will be coming soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this took a couple more days to get up then it should, but I went away for the weekend. Anyhow, here it Part 3. Hope you enjoy and thank you all for the reviews. I so appreciate each and every one of them, you don't even know J

Part 3

Viii.

Finn calls Rachel a total of 27 times after their fight at Mr. Schue's wedding. She didn't even look at him when they escorted each other down the aisle as best man and maid of honor. Despite his attempts to stare her down whilst standing up at the altar beside Mr. Schuster, she ignored him and left promptly after the ceremony was over. During the reception, she spent all of her time catching up with Mercedes, Sam, Quinn and Artie, and he was stuck entertaining himself with Mike and Tina, who wouldn't stop making disgusting goo-goo eyes at each other all night.

He started calling her the day after the wedding, only to find out from her Dads that she left once again for New York, with specific instructions for him not to contact her. Despite those instructions though, Finn continues to call her every day for the next 2 weeks. He knows he was wrong to say what he said to her, but she could be so frustrating sometimes. Why didn't she get that what he did was for her own good?

He calls her one more time, now exactly 14 days since the wedding, only to find out her number has been disconnected.

He can't help but regret every decision he has made since last spring, although he knows it was for the best.

Ix.

Rachel sighs after she adds the last contact into her new phone. She did what she had to do. Finn had been trying to contact her for the last 2 weeks, probably to give her some sort of apology. She wanted to answer every single time and tell him she forgave him, but she couldn't help but feel a lot of anger towards him as well. Why couldn't he just tell her the truth? She can't help but feel that deep down, she was right in her assumption that she had been a bigger problem for Finn than she initially thought. Maybe that really was how he felt?

She knew he loved her, but they were a lot different. He said he wanted to be a better man for her. He had chosen to be an actor so he could go to New York with her. But was that really something he had wanted or was it to simply please her? She had always known Finn was destined for greater things than being a mechanic in Lima, but was that great thing acting?

These were questions that had been bogging her mind for the past 2 weeks, and they were part of the reason she wouldn't take his calls, apart from the anger she felt toward him. If she kept her distance, maybe he could figure out what it was that he truly wanted. If she stayed away, he could figure out his life without her in it.

Rachel knows what she has to do, and that is cut Finn Hudson out of her life once and for all.

X.

Finn throws his phone against the wall in frustration. He just got off the phone with Kurt who had told him in no uncertain terms "stop trying to contact Rachel, you big buffoon."

He knows Kurt harbors a lot of anger towards him for breaking up with Rachel last spring, but he thought the dude would at least be able to see his side of things, but apparently being his brother doesn't mean jack-all in this situation. Kurt won't put him in touch with Rachel no matter how hard he tries.

He doesn't even bother trying Santana. He knows exactly what Santana thinks of him now, even though they had formed some sort of quasi-friendship last year. Santana has become strangely protective of Rachel in the months that she had lived with her. At the Schuster wedding, Santana watched him like a hawk. One wrong move towards Rachel, and Finn would be toast. Santana for sure wouldn't understand.

He needed to talk to Rachel and soon. He needed for her to understand why he did what he did if they were to have any sort of relationship in the future.

Xi.

Santana finally convinces Rachel to go on a date after some guy in her Music Composition Class asks her out for coffee. He has been trying to get her to go out with him ever since he noticed she took off her engagement ring.

Rachel didn't really feel ready to start dating, but she knew if she wanted to get Finn out of her life once and for all, she needed to start now.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, San?" Rachel asks her friend for the millionth time.

"Hobbit, we've talked about this every day for the past week, you need this. You'll never get over Frankendud if you don't meet other men." Santana reassured her as she finished applying Rachel's lip stick, the finishing touch.

"I guess you're right, this just feels so strange." Rachel says with a swallow as she hears a knock at the apartment door, and waits as Santana answers it.

She goes out with Andrew and finds she has a lot in common with him, besides their shared love of music and reading. The date is awkward at first, mainly because she can't seem to stop comparing him to a certain 6'3 ex-Quarterback/boyfriend/fiancé. But after she gets over that, things get more comfortable and she finds herself having a good time.

Despite the initial awkwardness, the date ends well and they agree to call each other and even arrange a second date.

Maybe she can do this after all?

xi.

December comes and goes and before he knows it, it's the middle of January and Finn has almost completed his mission of honoring his father. His father's military status had been changed after it was discovered he saved 2 small children from a collapsed and burning building. He's learned that despite his father's flaws in the end, he really was a hero, even if he hadn't saved those kids. Just the fact that he served his country at all, made him a true hero.

Finn quickly finds himself with a completely drained out bank account and nowhere to go besides to live with his parents, who stopped paying for the apartment and told Finn it was time to come home.

Despite the fact that these are some seriously huge problems, he finds himself still constantly thinking about his fight with Rachel. He never was able to explain himself. She was completely cut off from him now. Her Dads wouldn't even take his calls anymore.

His new goal is to get enough money to go to New York, just so he could explain himself to her, not to get back together because despite what she thinks, she needs to focus on school and experience life in New York for herself before she can decide if she wants to be tied to him for life.

He starts working once again for Burt, this time as the manager because Burt has to go to D.C. as part of his Congressman duty.

As soon as he can save enough, he will make things right with Rachel. Well as right as they can be when they're not together.

Xii.

February comes around and before she knows it, it's Valentine's Day. Rachel can't help but think back to where she was at this time last year. She and Finn had just gotten engaged and told their friends and parents about their plans to wed. What happened to those days?

Things have slowly been getting easier for Rachel. School is going extremely well, despite the fact that Rachel is surrounded by students just as ruthless, talented and ambitious as she is. She remains one of the top in her class, and her Professors love her, especially her Acting 101 Professor, Nicole Ross. She's quickly become Rachel's mentor at the school. She's a 30-some year old blonde woman with a young face who has been in numerous movies, with smaller roles of course, but they were still movies Rachel has heard of.

Rachel and Andrew have officially been on 4 dates, mostly due to Santana's pushing. Rachel knows that if Santana wasn't so intent on her dating, she would have broken it off with Andrew after their second date. It's not that he's a bad guy or anything, she's just not ready to date quite yet. She needs to focus on herself first and foremost. She needs to remember what it was like not to be so focussed on maintaining a relationship. Andrew understands it all, and he's actually started seeing another girl. They mainly just hangout now to keep Santana off their backs. So long as she's convinced that Rachel is seeing someone, then she will leave them alone.

Rachel's beginning to understand what Finn was getting at in that car last spring. She needs to focus on her and her dreams, but she can't help but still think that if Finn were there, she would still be just as focussed as she is right now, and she would actually be happy.

Ok so I know this is majorly angsty right now, but I promise it will have a happy ending. J


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Xiv.

As March comes to an end, Finn finally finds himself with enough money to be able to afford a round trip to New York. He's only able to afford to go for a few days, but he hopes that will be enough to get through to Rachel.

He begins to make plans for his trip. He knows he wants it to be a surprise for her, but he also needs a place to crash. Hotels in New York City are pricey. His only option is to call his brother.

After 4 rings, Kurt finally answers his cell, sounding a bit irritated as he greets Finn.

"_What do you want Finn?" _Kurt asks, not even bothering to say hello.

"Ouch, is that anyway to greet your brother?" Finn jokes.

"_Sorry." _Kurt apologizes. _"I've just had a very long day at work, and I'm just getting off. If I come off a bit irritated, you can blame the woman who insisted on paying for her hair appointment in cash and counted out every last penny." _Kurt sighs on the other end. _"Honestly people, it's the 21__st__ century."_

Finn laughs. "So how are you? How's preparing for your audition coming?"

"_I'm good and I'm just about ready." _Kurt says happily.

"That's great, I'm really proud of you." Finn says with a smile.

"_Thanks Finn." _Kurt says appreciatively. _"I'm assuming there's a reason you're calling me so out of the blue?"_

Finn laughs. "Yeah I was actually wondering if you could give me a place to crash. I'm coming to New York for a few days."

Kurt's silence on the other end confuses Finn. "Kurt, are you there?"

"_Sorry, it just sounded like you said you were coming to New York…New York City." _Kurt repeats, although Finn isn't sure why he felt the need to.

"That is what I said." Finn replies.

"_Is this about Rachel?" _Kurt asks.

"Sort of." Finn admits. "I need to see her, we have some things we need to discuss. I do want to see you as well though."

"_Finn there's something you should know about Rachel." _Kurt can't believe he's about to lie to his brother, but he needs to protect his best friend. Rachel is finally starting to get on with her life. She is finally accepting her and Finn's break-up.

"What about her?" Finn asks in concern.

"_She has a boyfriend." _Kurt answers. _"His name is Andrew, they've been going out for a few months now." _Kurt intentionally leaves out the fact that Rachel dumped Andrew weeks ago.

"What?" Finn swears he feels his heart drop into his stomach at the new. "But how? Where did they meet?"

Kurt sighs, really hating himself at the moment_. "He's a guy from one of her classes. He asked her out a while ago, and very reluctantly she agreed."_

"Is she happy with him?" Finn can't believe what he's hearing.

"_Yes." _Kurt answers shortly. _"I'm very sorry Finn, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to come to New York. Rachel is moving on, and quite frankly, so should you."_

"Yeah whatever." Finn replies. "Thanks for telling me Kurt."

They hang up and Finn stares down at his phone in shock. Five minutes ago he was hopeful for a better future with Rachel, and now it feels like he's never been further apart from her.

Xv.

Rachel checks her phone again for the 50th time that day (and she isn't exaggerating). Today is Finn's birthday and she sent him a happy birthday text message first thing this morning. She knows he might be angry at her for her childish behaviour for the last few months. She has been ignoring him, only going so far as to exchange an email or two to let him know she's still alive and breathing. But no matter what there situation is, she thought he would at least respond to her special birthday text.

Sighing, she pockets her phone and looks over to her best friend, Finn's step-brother.

"Something on your mind Lil' Diva?" Kurt asks, using the nickname he came up with for her a few months back.

Rachel shrugs. "It's Finn."

Kurt visibly stiffens at the mention of the name. "What about him?" He asks nervously.

"I sent him a text this morning for his birthday, and he never responded. You would think he would at least be able to send a simple thank you." Rachel mutters, suddenly feeling very bitter.

Kurt runs a hand through his perfectly coifed hairs. "Are you sure that was a good idea Rachel?"

Rachel looks at him in surprise. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Kurt shrugs. "I don't know, I just thought that maybe you should just leave Finn be, he's finally moving forward with his life, why confuse him?"

"It's just a birthday text Kurt. All it said was Happy Birthday, hope you have a great day." Rachel even holds up the phone as proof of her simple message. "There's no mixed signals there."

Kurt nods, but still looks disapproving.

Rachel can tell there is something he isn't telling her. "What's going on Kurt?"

Kurt sighs, and knows he has to be honest, even though she will no doubt be angry at him.

"I may know why Finn is avoiding you." Kurt begins, but off Rachel's glare, he immediately continues. "Ok I do know why."

"Out with it Hummel. Why is Finn not speaking to me?" Rachel asks gritting her perfectly white teeth.

"I sort of, kind of, maybe told him you had a boyfriend." Kurt says it so quietly, Rachel almost can't hear the admission.

"You what?" Rachel's eyes widen and her voice raises an octave. "How could you do that? Why would you do that? It's none of your business what Finn and I do."

"Actually you're wrong about that." Kurt retorts. "I'm the one caught in the middle here. You're my best friend, he's my brother. I don't feel like I can side with either of you, I want you both to be happy."

"And how does telling Finn that lie help us?"

"He was going to come to New York, Rachel." Kurt admits. "He was going to come here to talk to you, not into getting back together, but just talk to you. He wanted to make sure you understood why he lied to you about joining the army."

"Well what if that's something I needed to hear?" Rachel questions.

"I didn't want you to be hurt yet again." Kurt says defeatedly. "You were finally getting over your break-up with Finn, I didn't want him to stir up any old feelings that would set you back again. I told him you had a boyfriend in hopes that he would start to move on as well. I did it to protect you both."

"I think you should go." Rachel says.

"Rachel I…"

"Kurt, please I can't deal with you right now." Rachel says, and she gets up to leave the coffeehouse where they meet up every week. She can't bear to be around him right now.

"I'm sorry Rachel." Kurt apologizes again, realizing he may have really messed things up, despite his best intentions.

Rachel looks over her shoulder, just as she's about to exit, and shakes her head softly at him. The hurt very evident in her eyes.

She's never felt more alone than she does right now.

Xvi.

Finn looks at his phone and stares at Rachel's message. He is honestly so confused, he doesn't even know what to say. Why is she texting him? Is it to rub her happiness in his face?

He pauses over the delete button once again, before making up his mind and deleting the message once and for all.

It may be time to close that chapter of his life, as much as that hurts.

Xvii.

Two days later, and no replies from Finn, has Rachel going crazy. Why won't he just respond to the message? She knows he's obviously hurt, but so is she.

_You could be hurting together._ Rachel's inner voice reminds her. She knows Kurt was right in one way, she was finally moving on, but the more she thinks about moving on with her life without Finn, the more she realizes she really does not want to. She needs Finn. She needs to tell him the truth, to make him understand and see how miserable she is. She needs to convince him that they can be together, that they can make it, even with some distance between them. After all it's just temporary.

With a new surge of confidence that she hasn't felt in herself in months, Rachel makes a decision that will either make or break her future with Finn. She is going to Lima, and she is going to win back Finn Hudson, and this time they will make it work, no matter what.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

xviii.

Finn moves out of his parent's house at the end of May. He has resigned himself to the fact that there isn't really a point in him going to New York anymore. He and Rachel are finished. He uses the money that he saved to go to New York to pay for the first month's rent and utilities. He could have just continued living with his mom and Burt, but he felt at the very least he needed his own place. It's really the only thing he can call his own anymore.

His new apartment is still in Lima, 2 blocks down from Burt's shop. It's kind of dumpy with only one bedroom, a tiny kitchen and living area, and a miniscule bathroom, but it's all he's able to afford.

He sighs as he looks at himself in the mirror. He can't believe how much older he looks after just one year. His hair's grown long and shaggy and he's got a 5 o'clock shadow. Perhaps most striking is the look in his eyes of utter and complete defeat at what life has handed to him. He shakes his head and walks to his bedroom to call it a night.

It's another night of little sleep, another night without his love.

xix.

Rachel's flight lands at the Cinncinnati airport in the late afternoon. Normally after a flight she feels exhausted, but right now there is a renewed bounce in her step, something she hasn't had in a long time. She doesn't know whether it's because she's back in Ohio, the place she grew up, or if it might have more to do with the reason she's here. She's guessing the later.

Her Dads both greet her with a huge smile on their faces at seeing her radiant grin, something they did not see when they left her in New York last summer, and hadn't seen very much of in the times they'd visited since.

"Hi Dads." Rachel greets then both with a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Hello Star, it's good to have you home." Leroy says as he puts his arms around his daughter.

"You're looking well." Hiram adds. "Better than the last time we saw you."

Rachel nods, she feels better. "I am better."

"That's good." Leroy smiles. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you're going to be seeing a certain 6'3 ex-Quarterback would it?" He refrained from saying ex-fiance so she wouldn't get upset.

Rachel bits her lip, showing an uncharacteristic shyness in front of her Dads. "It's...possible." She pretends to shrug it off before adding. "Have you seen him?"

Hiram nods. "We see him from time to time around town. He worked on my car a few weeks ago and did a fabulous job if I do say so myself."

Rachel smiles softly before something dawns on her. "He's still working for Burt?" She questions.

"Full time. He's doing well there, even managed to get his own place in town." Hiram says remembering from his conversation with Finn.

"Oh." Rachel says and looks at the ground. She can't help to think back to her conversation with Quinn 2 years ago in the auditorium. She remembers Quinn saying how Finn would work in the tire shop and be happy.

_Maybe he is happy and I'm just going to upset him. _She thinks to herself.

"I'm sure he would love to see you." Leroy quickly says, sending a look to his partner after sensing Rachel's change in demeanor. "He asked about you when I saw him at the grocery store about a month ago."

"He did?" Rachel asks.

Leroy nods. "I told him you were doing as well as could be expected."

"He didn't happen to ask if I was seeing anyone did he?" Rachel questions.

Leroy shakes his head. "No, why would he?"

"Nothing." Rachel says. "I was just wondering." She doesn't want to get into what happened with Kurt, she'd rather just forget all about it.

"Well how about we get you home." Hiram suggests and takes her bags from her, leading them out to the car.

Rachel's beginning to wonder if coming back may have been a mistake.

xxi.

Finn's in the middle of a game of COD when he hears a knock on the door. He pauses the game, before getting up to answer it. He's confused as he makes his way to the kitchen. The only people who visit him here are Puck, Sam and and Artie when they're not in school, and his parents. Both Burt and Carole are working right now, Puck is visiting Quinn in New Haven and Sam and Artie are busy prepping for the Glee club's trip to Nationals. He has no idea who it could be.

Curiously he bends to look through the tiny peephole in the door and is shocked by what he sees. He pulls back unsteadily from the door and breathes in deeply as he prepares to answer.

"R..Rachel." He stutters upon opening the door.

Rachel, for her part, looks very nervous and like she just wants to get the hell away. "Hi Finn." She attempts to smile, but it fails to be more than a grimace.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, before adding "please come in."

"I came to see you, to talk to you." She says as she hastily enters the small apartment and looks around. It's bigger and nicer than she imagined. She pictured, based on how Finn had kept his room, his apartment being a pigstye, but it's not. It's actually relatively neat and tidy. It's small, but it's a lot bigger than most of the places they would have been able to afford in New York had they gone together.

"What about?" Finn asks.

"You...us." She says. "I wanted, no needed to see you. Kurt told you something he shouldn't have."

"You're seeing someone." Finn says immediately knowing what she's talking about.

Rachel shakes her head. "That's the thing, I'm not."

"What?" Finn asks in shock. "Why would he tell me you were when you weren't?"

"He thought he was protecting me." Rachel explains. "In his own twisted way, I guess he was, but he was wrong to do what he did."

Finn begins pacing the room, in deep thought. "I can't believe he did that." Finn says frustratedly. "I was prepared to go to New York, I was coming to talk to you, to make you understand why I did what I did."

Rachel nodded knowingly. "I know." She smiles softly. "I think that's why Kurt did it. He saw that I was finally moving on, accepting our break-up, and he thought that you coming to talk to me would undo all my progress."

"Are you moving on?" Finn asks curiously.

Rachel sighs before shaking her head. "I thought I was, but coming back here, seeing you, has just brought back so many memories and I'm realizing that I was just dealing with it. I was getting through it because I refused to think about it, I put my focus on something else without really coming to terms with it."

Finn nodded as if he understood exactly what she meant. "I think that's kind of what I was doing to."

"Where do we go from here?" Rachel asks.

Finn shrugs. "I think we need to talk...to sort out our issues and start from there. You need to understand why I did what I did, and I need to understand a few things as well."

Rachel nods with a smile. "Ok, but before we do this, can I just do one thing?"

Finn's curiousity peaks and he nods emphatically, already understanding what she means. Rachel moves closer to him, and hesitantly wraps her arms around waist in a tight hug before pulling back and gently placing her lips on his. The kiss is soft yet full of passion and leaves them both wanting more.

"How did that feel?" Finn asks.

"Like I'm finally home." Rachel answers with a beam on her face, lighting up her eyes for the first time since last year when she thought she was going to be marrying this man. She knows they've got a ways to go and a lot of talking to do, but for the first time in a long time, she thinks they'll be ok.

Finn thinks the same thing as well.

xxi.

"Are you ready Babe?" Finn asks calling to his girlfriend. He and Rachel talked through there problems until they were blue in the face, ultimately reaching an understanding. For now they were going to try dating again until they got acquainted with one another again. Rachel wears her engagement on a necklace around her neck and Finn is confident that he will be re-proposing sometime in the not to distant future.

"Coming." Rachel says as she enters the living room from his room. As soon as her classes ended, Rachel moved back to Lima for the summer to be with Finn. Although she still lives with her Dads, she spends most of her time at Finn's apartment, even overnight, which her Dads aren't exactly pleased about but are coming to accept being that she is a legal adult.

They talk the entire drive to Cleveland where Nationals are being held this year.

"Can you believe this was us last year?" Rachel asks as she holds Finn's hand over the gear shift.

"Sometimes it feels like it was yesterday, sometimes it feels like it was another lifetime ago." Finn replies.

Rachel agrees. She can't wait to see what her former glee club has in store for them. She knows a little bit from what Tina has told her via text, but it wasn't much. She knows Tina is now the lead female vocalist and Sam and Artie share the role of lead vocalist. She knows there's now a freshman girl, Lily, who Tina says is a re-incarnation of Rachel, except with blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes. Rachel can't wait to see her.

"Just think about where we'll be at this time next year." Finn says brings her out of her trance.

"You living with me in New York, going to Pace, me in my second year at NYADA." Rachel finishes for him.

"It's going to be a great life." Finn says.

Rachel brings their intertwined hands up to her mouth, and kisses his knuckle. "It sure is."

-Glee-

And there you have it. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the story, and to those silent readers, thank you to you too! I've really enjoyed writing this and it got some of my frustration out at how the finale ended. I'm now feeling a lot better about it and I can officially sit through the car scene without bawling. :)


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